The present invention relates to solubilizing benzylidene acetone which is employed as a brightener in baths for electrodepositing zinc on a substrate and to improving zinc plating bath compositions.
In the past, many electroplating baths have been developed for providing bright zinc deposits on metallic substrates for use in many industrial applications. Such compositions generally include a brightener additive, one of the most beneficial of which is benzylidene acetone. However, such baths usually need a solubilizing compound for the benzylidene acetone. In general, high concentrations of the solubilizer are necessary, adding to the expense and in some cases interferring with the plating operation. Further they often require an excessive amount of time to solubilize the benzylidene acetone.
Accordingly, it is a purpose of the instant invention to provide a solubilizer for benzylidene acetone in a zinc plating bath which may be employed at low concentrations and which will solubilize the benzylidene acetone in a minimum amount of time, such as 30 minutes.